Will POV
After I reached Paris, I went straight back to my routine. Work is filled every hour of my day-meetings, calls, files, and endless responsibilities. I didn't give myself space to think about anything else. Feelings were useless. This was my real life.
Minnie crossed my mind once or twice, but I pushed it away quickly. What we had was only friendship. Nothing more. I reminded myself of that every time her name appeared in my thoughts. Distance was necessary. It was better for her and easier for me.
My phone stayed on silent. I didn't check her messages, and I didn't send any either. I focused only on my work and the life waiting for me here. Chennai felt far away, like something that belonged to another version of me.
I told myself this was the right decision. No emotions. No confusion. Just work.
Yet, in the quiet moments, when the office lights were turned off and I was alone, there was a strange heaviness in my chest. I ignored it. Feelings were a distraction-and I chose to move on.
Minnie POV
After my final exams were over, all I could do was wait for the results. My books were closed, but my heart was still restless. I tried to tell myself that everything would be fine, that a new chapter of my life was about to begin. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move on from Will.
Every place reminded me of him. The coffee shop, the roads we walked, the small jokes we shared, the way he used to look at me when he smiled. I pretended to be strong in front of everyone, but inside, I felt empty. Like something important had been taken away without warning.
So I decided to go back to work at the coffee shop- not as a part-timer anymore, but as a full-time employee. I needed distraction. I needed noise, tiredness, and long hours just to stop my mind from thinking about him. Until I got my dream job, this would be my escape.
From morning till night, I stayed busy serving customers, cleaning tables, and making coffee. My hands worked, but my heart was somewhere else. Sometimes, when I saw the door open, I unconsciously hoped it was him. And every time it wasn't, a small pain settled deeper in my chest.
I smiled at customers, joked with Maya, and acted like everything was normal. But when I was alone, the silence became too loud. I missed him in ways I couldn't explain. He was the first person I trusted, the first person I let close to my broken heart-and losing him felt like losing a part of myself.
I told myself this was temporary. Just until I got my dream job. Just until I became strong enough to move on. But deep inside, I knew the truth...
Maya POV
I noticed Minnie changing before she did.
She started coming to the coffee shop early and leaving late. Not as a part-timer anymore, but as if the café was the only place she wanted to be. She smiled at customers, laughed at jokes, and worked nonstop-but her eyes were never really happy.
One day, while she was making coffee, her hands suddenly stopped. She was staring at the door like she was waiting for someone. When the door opened and it was just another customer, her face fell for a second before she forced a smile again.
Maya: "Minnie... you're not the same girl anymore. You work all day, you don't eat properly, and your smile looks forced. Tell me honestly... are you still thinking about Will?"
I kept my eyes on the coffee cup in my hands.
"...Yes," I whispered. "I try not to, but he's always in my head."
Maya: "Then listen to me carefully. He didn't choose you. And that hurts, but it's the truth."
I looked up at her, my eyes already wet.
"He was never rude to me... he cared for me. How can I just forget him like that?"
Maya: "Caring is not enough, Minnie. If he really wanted you, he wouldn't walk away so easily. Love doesn't keep distance. Love stays."
My throat tightened. "Maybe I wasn't important enough
She held my face gently.
Maya: "Don't say that. He didn't deserve the way you loved him. You gave him your heart when you were already broken from your family's pain. And he left when you needed him the most."
I shook my head. "It's not that easy, Maya. He was the first person who made me feel safe... the first person I trusted."
Maya: "And that's why it hurts so much. But you can' t wait for someone who chose to forget you. You deserve someone who chooses you every single day."
Tears rolled down my cheeks. "So what should I do?"
Maya: "Move on. Slowly. Not today, not tomorrow... but step by step. Cry if you want. Miss him if you want. But don't stop your life for him."
I wiped my tears and tried to smile.
"I don't know how to be strong without him"
I wiped my tears and tried to smile.
She hugged me tightly.
Maya: "Then be strong for yourself. For your dreams. For the girl who survived everything. One day, you'll look back and say... 'I didn't break, I healed."
I rested my head on her shoulder and whispered, "I wish my heart understood what my mind already knows."
Maya: "It will. Just give it time. And remember... he didn't deserve your tears. But you deserve happiness."
That night, I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. Maya's words kept echoing in my head again and again.
"He didn't deserve the way you loved him." "Love stays."
I turned to my side and hugged my pillow tightly, as if it could hold my broken heart together.
"Why does it still hurt so much?" I whispered to myself.
I tried to be strong. I really tried.
I told myself that my career mattered more.
That my dreams were waiting for me.
That I shouldn't cry for someone who chose to leave.
But my heart didn't listen.
opened my phone and scrolled through our old messages.
Every "Are you okay?"
Every "Did you eat?"
Every small caring word felt like a wound now.
Tears slipped silently onto the screen.
"I was just a friend to you... but you were everything to me," I said softly.
I wanted to delete his number.
My finger hovered over the screen... but I couldn't do
"Not today," I whispered. "Maybe tomorrow."
closed my eyes, holding my chest, feeling both love and loss mixed together.
Before sleep took me, one thought stayed in my mind:
One day, I will heal. Not for him... but for myself.
Days later, during a busy shift at the coffee shop, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I ignored it at first. Then it vibrated again.
When I finally checked, my breath stopped.
Will: "Hi Minnie... how are you?"
My hands started shaking.
I stared at his name on the screen for a long time. So many emotions crashed into me at once- anger, sadness, love, confusion.
"You came back now?" I whispered to myself. "When I was learning how to forget you?"
I typed... then erased. Typed again... then erased.
Finally, I replied:
Minnie: "I'm fine. Hope you are doing well."
Simple. Cold. Safe.
A few seconds later, another message came.
Will: "I was busy with work... but I was thinking about you. I hope you're okay."
My heart hurts again.
I looked around the coffee shop-
customers waiting, Maya calling my name, life moving on.
I locked my phone and put it back in my pocket.
Some people come back when they feel lonely... not when you need them.
My phone vibrated again while I was serving coffee.
I already knew it was him.
slowly took it out and saw another message.
Will: "Minnie... are you busy? Can we talk for a minute?"
My chest tightened.
Why now?
Why when I was learning how to live without him?
I didn't open the chat immediately.
I just stared at his name on the screen, feeling my heart sink.
A few seconds later, another message came.
Will: "I don't know why, but I miss our talks. I hope you're not angry with me."
That was it.
Tears filled my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. I smiled sadly.
"Miss?" I whispered.
"You left when I needed you the most... and now you miss me?"
I remembered Maya's words.
"He didn't deserve the way you loved him."
"Moving on hurts, but staying will destroy you.'
My hands were shaking as I opened his chat.
I didn't type anything.
I didn't argue.
didn't explain.
Instead, I pressed on his contact name... and blocked his number.
The screen went silent.
No more messages.
No more waiting.
No more false hope.
My heart felt like it cracked again, but this time it was different.
This time, it was a brave pain.
"I loved you quietly," I whispered, "but now I choose myself."
I wiped my tears, put my phone back in my pocket, and went back to work.
The coffee shop was noisy.
Life was moving.
And even though my heart was still broken... I knew this was the first step to healing
Will POV
I was checking my phone when I noticed something strange.
Message not delivered.
I tried again.
Still the same.
That's when it hit me- She blocked me.
My heart skipped for a second, then sank heavily in my chest. I stared at Minnie's name on the screen like it was a mistake I could undo.
"It's my fault..." I whispered.
Everything was my fault.
I was the one who asked her to be in a fake relationship.
I was the one who acted close, cared for her, and made her feel special.
And I was the one who suddenly stepped back, pretending nothing mattered.
What did I expect her to do? Wait forever? leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
"She trusted me," I said softly. "And I broke that trust."
Memories rushed into my mind-her shy smile at the coffee shop, the way she listened when I talked about my work, how her eyes filled with worry when my mom teased me about her. I treated everything like a game, like it was safe... but for her, it was real.
I wanted to protect her from getting hurt. But in trying to protect her, I became the reason she was hurt.
My chest felt tight as I held my phone in my hand.
"I should have been honest," I murmured.
"I should have told her what I felt... instead of running away.
Paris felt cold that night. Not because of the weather, but because I had pushed away the only person who made me feel warm.
Blocking me was her way of surving. And I knew I deserved it.
For the first time, I understood the truth clearly I didn't lose Minnie because of the distance.
I lost her because of my fear.
________________________________________
Author Note
Hello readers 👋 😀 If you're enjoying the story, please support with Power Stones Your support helps this story grow.❤️ 😀 🤠